Did you know that today is National Chocolate Mousse Day? No? IT IS! I think that it is probably the most amazing day of the year. A whole day dedicated to chocolate mousse! In honor of this day, I'm going to share with you my very favorite chocolate mousse alternative. I went paleo a couple of years ago and discovered Nom Nom Paleo shortly thereafter. This recipe has been a lifesaver, on days when I desperately need a chocolate fix but don't want to load up on sugar, or put any dairy into my diet. Because it's made with friendly dark chocolate, coconut milk (a good fat) and eggs, this dessert is a great source of nutrition. Plus it tastes great.

Chop the chocolate up and put it in a medium bowl. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, add a can of coconut milk, egg yolks, ancho chile powder, and kosher salt. Whisk until it's all combined, then add the cinnamon stick. Put on the stove over medium low heat. You're making a custard here, so you want to just keep stirring, patiently, until it is thick and coats the back of a spoon. Don't rush this part. And don't overcook it. Steaming is good. Bubbling is bad. Use a thermometer to make sure the final temperature is about 175°F (80°C).

When the custard is ready, take the pot off the heat, and remove the cinnamon stick. Put a mesh sieve over the bowl of chocolate, and pour the custard through. You want to catch any lumps.

Now walk away and let the hot custard sit on top of the chocolate for a full 5 minutes. No peeking, no stirring, no messing with it. Just leave it alone.

When your 5 minutes are up, stir very gently with a spatula. You want to mix the chocolate into the custard base, but you don't want a grainy texture. You want this to be really smooth. Once it is, stir in your vanilla extract.

Now the original recipe tells you to divide the mixture into 8 2-oz ramekins or shot glasses. I'm, um, well 2 oz just isn't enough. So I usually divide it into slightly larger bowls because if I'm making this, I want as much as possible to get into my mouth. But if you're doing a fancy dessert and sharing it among friends, then yes, shot glasses or ramekins will do nicely. Let these cool to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Or, in my case, for as many hours as you can stand before you are grabbing one and dipping in with a spoon.

When you're ready to eat, take your can of chilled coconut milk out of the fridge and pour off the thin liquid (save it for smoothies), then put the chilled solids into a cold metal bowl with coconut sugar and cinnamon, and whip it up, just like you would a bowl of cream. Dollop that on top of your pots de creme and serve.

Oh so delicious.

Original link with pictures and preparation notes, here. And if you're thinking about paleo, I'm just gonna give a little plug to her whole site and cookbook, they're an awesome resource.

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